Extracting the Cancer of Islamism
"From governments and people across the Middle East, there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so that it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of this kind of nihilistic ideology."
"The United States will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans anywhere, we do what's necessary to see that justice is done."
"They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can, for no other reason than they practise a different religion."
"They may claim out of expediency that they are at war with the United States or the West, but the fact is they terrorize their neighbours and offer them nothing but an endless slavery to their empty vision."
U.S. President Barack Obama
 |
| Journalist James Foley |
"The MI5 experts may use a computer program to narrow down their search, comparing the voice in the video to voices they already have on file. But a computer can't pick out an exact match, that still relies on the trained human ear, because there is no such thing as a unique 'voice print."Intelligence agents in the United States and Britain are working overtime to extract clues located within the video released by the Islamic State of the gruesome beheading of American journalist James Foley. Mr. Foley was thought to have been abducted originally by one of the Free Rebel Army groups in Syria fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This was a group that later left the ranks of the moderates to join ISIS, and as a symbol of their unity, turned Mr. Foley over to the Islamic State.
"The analysts will listen to the tone or timbre of the voice, the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, the duration of each syllable as well as the accent and use of grammar."
Elizabeth McClelland, forensic voice and speech analyst
The video, filmed in a featureless landscape, the executioner hooded, still contains information that the skilled in intelligence are capable of winkling out. The distinctive voice of the executioner will be examined, his height in contrast to the known height of his victim, and that he is left-handed, all distinguishing features that will aid investigators in establishing his true identity. He is one of three British-sourced jihadis with a particularly nasty reputation.
The man wielding the knife appeared to use a South London accent, speaking English as his first language, with the possible influence of Farsi suggesting a family link to Afghanistan, ventured Elizabeth McClelland, a forensic voice and speech analyst. Named as "John", he is assumed to be based in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, in Syria, a reputedly educated, intelligent and committed-to Islamism British recruit.
In what was described as a "complicated operation", several dozen U.S. commandos had been dropped into a remote area of Syria months earlier, corresponding with where American intelligence felt several of their nationals were being held by Islamists. The hostages, however, weren't there at all, leaving the commandos to exchange fire with the Islamist militants who were there. U.S. Navy SEALs had more luck when they dropped in to visit with Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan compound; that intelligence was spot on.
Rescue is an American option; paying ransom through negotiating with terrorists is not, something they have in common with Great Britain and Canada, as opposed to Spain, France and Germany and uniquely, Israel exchanging a thousand-for-one; the others in Europe willing to pay to rescue their captured-and-held-for-ransom nationals. In the process enriching the coffers of the terrorists who find that tactic extremely remunerative. Families of the abducted don't stand a chance in offering to pay such ransoms because they tend to be in the vicinity of millions.
 |
| Journalist James Foley in Aleppo covering the war in Syria, in 2012 |
"Jim is free. We know he's in God's hands. He's in heaven. We're so proud of him. None of it makes any sense. We miss his courage, his love, his determination, his laugh and his smile. He was motivated by what he thought was doing the right thing", said his father, John Foley. And his mother, Diane Foley said: "We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world."
But they are American. And their country has responded to the plight of Iraqi minorities as well as Iraqi Shiites who have become the direct targets of ISIS. And with the knowledge that once that direct accomplishment has been achieved, attention will turn inevitably to inflicting harm on American interests, on its citizens, whenever and wherever such opportunities present themselves. And they tend to present themselves in the most unexpected ways, as 9/11 proved.
As for such a heartfelt plea for the humanitarian instinct to be turned on in the mindsets of those who have dedicated themselves to violent jihad, it represents a fleeting illusion that humanity ranks high on the agenda of all people, when in fact it most certainly does not; particularly among those whose complete dedication to revelling in slaughter in the name of a religion whose basic premise is proselytizing by the sword to begin with.
Labels: Atrocities, Iraq, ISIS, Middle East
posted by Pieface @ Friday, August 22, 2014
<< Home